Carmelo Ciantar, also known as “id-Durga”, has pleaded not guilty to the accuse of the double murder in Rabat. He allegedly called Anthony Agius’ daughter and told her “I killed your father” according to a testimony in Court according to TVM.Ciantar appeared in Court earlier today, wearing a mask since he has COVID, to face the jury against charges of voluntary homicide of 51-year-old Dennis Mifsud from Siġġiewi and 57-year-old Anthony Agius from Rabat. He also faces charges for arson and for having an unlicensed firearm in his vehicle.Mifsud and Agius were murdered on Tuesday evening in an alleyway in Rabat. One of the victims is his stepson and the other is the accused’s partner’s daughter.The Court session was presided by Magistrate Rachel Montebello during which Police Inspector Kurt Colombo Zahra said that the police were notified of two gunshots that were heard close to the Kunċizzjoni parish. At 6.15pm, the police were on site and found the two victims dead in a field.The police officer that first saw the victims said that the first man he saw was in a van on the driver’s seat with a bullet wound to the head. The other victim was found covered in another vehicle with multiple bullet wounds. Colombo Zahra went on to say that when the police investigated the area, they found the accused’s personal documents torn to shreds. He also said that several people including the victims’ relatives went on site.The inspector said that the police spoke with Agius’ daughter and she explained that she received a phone call from the accused during which he told her that he had just murdered her father. It was said that Carmelo Ciantar left his residence with a shotgun.At that point in time, the police were very suspicious of Ciantar’s involvement in the murder. The inspector went on to say how they spoke to him on the phone and he told them that he will not be going to prison and that he will not be found alive. After the phone call, the man hunt commenced in Mellieħa and Naxxar. Colombo Zahra went on to say that they spoke to the accused again to convince him to reveal his location. The accused told the police that he was in a supermarket’s parking lot in Mosta and that he had just eaten. He went on to tell the police that they will not reach him in time and that they will find him dead. Colombo Zahra said that they were still speaking on the phone when the accused was found by the police. He went on to say that the accused admitted what he had done. The inspector testified that the accused told him that the police “screwed me over because you had to find me under the marble.”During his testimony, Colombo Zahra went on to say that the shot gun was found in the accused’s vehicle, loaded with three bullets. He went on to say that the accused told the police that he’d rather take his own life rather than go through the whole process.The accused was looked at by a doctor in order to certify that he can be interrogated. Colombo Zahra said that the accused was interrogated and that he was arrested.The defence has not asked for Ciantar’s release from arrest, however, it requested for Ciantar to be held in custody in the forensic department because he is a danger to himself.The Court asked the Executive Chief of the Corradino Facility to consider the defence’s request and ordered protection against the accused.Lawyer Anthony Vella from the Office of the Attorney General, together with Inspectors Kurt Colombo Zahra, Wayne Camilleri, and Cheyenne Mangion, led the prosecution.Lawyer Francesca Zarb appeared for the accused, while lawyers Mario and Nicholas Mifsud appeared for the victims’ relatives. •